Maybe it was
by Gmariam
Summary: Gwen, Tosh, and even Owen try to figure out just when and how Jack and Ianto hooked up together for the first time.


Maybe It Was…

"Do you think they're doing anything special tonight?" asked Tosh. She opened up a small box she had just found on the coffee table and grinned at the four lush cupcakes inside. "Oh my, these look amazing. Gwen, come get one."

"Who?" asked Owen without even glancing up from his computer. Gwen hurried over to the sofa and practically squealed in delight.

"Jack and Ianto, of course," said Tosh, picking out a delicious looking chocolate cupcake with dark red frosting and a candy heart on top. Gwen took a vanilla cupcake with pink frosting and sparkly sprinkles.

"Why are we wondering?" asked Owen.

"It being Valentine's Day and all that," said Tosh. She sighed as she took a bite of the decadent sweet. "Oh, that's good."

"Valentine's Day?" Owen turned around and frowned. "Really? It's Valentine's Day?"

They nodded at him, mouths full, and he rolled his eyes. "Then no, they're not doing anything except maybe another shag-a-thon in the archives."

"Why do you say that?" asked Gwen, wiping her mouth with the tip of her finger and licking the frosting off. "A lot of couples actually go out for Valentine's Day, you know."

"Yes, I know," said Owen. "Been there, done that. They're not a couple, though, are they?"

The girls were silent, so Owen continued with his game.

"They might be," offered Tosh. Gwen nodded in agreement.

"They certainly spend enough time together," she said.

"They fuck," said Owen. "That does not make them a couple."

There was silence again; apparently no one wanted to debate the point. "When do you think it started?" asked Tosh curiously. Owen whirled around again.

"Are we really going there?" he asked incredulously.

"Why not?" asked Gwen with a grin. "They're not around—"

"Probably already shagging in the archives," Owen muttered under his breath.

"—and they've never said a word. We've got cupcakes. So what do you think?"

"I try not to," said Owen, sounding disgusted with the very idea.

"You go, then," said Tosh, pulling her legs up underneath her as she turned toward Gwen. "How do you think it started?"

Gwen appeared to think about it. "Maybe it was in the showers," said Gwen, licking more frosting off her fingers and gazing off into the distance. "A long, hot shag after their first time out Weevil hunting."

Owen snorted, but Tosh nodded as Gwen continued…

* * *

_Ianto had washed up and was just about to turn off the hot water when he heard the door to the shower open behind him. There was a waft of cold air, and Ianto felt a pair of strong arms wrap themselves around his waist, instantly stirring an unexpected interest where it hopefully wouldn't be seen._

_"Er, sir?" he asked, not turning around. "Were the other showers occupied?"_

_"No," said Jack, and he placed a kiss on Ianto's wet shoulder than sent shivers down to Ianto's toes even thought they were both standing in a steamy hot shower. "They were empty."_

_"And so you just thought you'd share mine, then?" Ianto asked, trying to keep his voice level. If he tilted his head ever so slightly to let Jack kiss his way toward his ear, he told himself it was unintentional, and that he would stop once he had a good answer._

_"That was your first time going out after Weevils," Jack breathed in his ear._

_"Yes it was, sir," Ianto replied. Jack's hands had slipped from Ianto's waist to his hips and, oh god, Ianto hoped they went lower…_

_"You were amazing," said Jack, and he stepped forward so that Ianto could feel him along his back, pressing against his arse…oh, Jack was hard as well, then…_

_"Do you always jump in the shower with your employees after a successful Weevil chase?" asked Ianto. He knew his breathing was growing quicker with each touch of Jack's skin against his own; he gasped when Jack's hands fell from Ianto's hips to his cock. _

_"Only you, if you'll have me," Jack murmured, beginning to stroke him slowly. Ianto bit back a groan. He certainly wasn't throwing Jack out of the shower, at least not yet. He turned his head and met Jack's eyes with a sly grin._

_"Depends on what you're offering," he replied._

_Jack's hips snapped forward against bare skin, and his hand sped up. He held Ianto's eyes until he finally leaned forward to capture Ianto's lips in a bruising kiss. But that was awkward, neck twisted at an uncomfortable angle, so Ianto turned quickly and continued the kiss as Jack's hand once again found his cock._

_"We'll start with this," Jack murmured, "but there's much, much more I can offer."_

_Ianto ran his hands up Jack's chest and then down his back, stopping at Jack's arse and pulling him tight against him. Jack took both their cocks in his hand, and Ianto groaned out loud this time at the delicious friction as Jack stroked them both, the water cascading over them as lips and tongues explored everywhere and anywhere possible._

_"You can stay," Ianto finally managed to gasp out as Jack sucked at his earlobe. "And if this how Weevil hunting usually ends, I'd like to request more field assignments."_

_"Oh," said Jack, grinning before he moved down to nip at Ianto's collarbone, "I would take you in the field any day."_

* * *

"I like it," said Tosh, a slight flush creeping across her cheeks. She set down her cupcake and reached for a bottle of water, taking a long sip before she continued. "It's quite...yes. Good. But I hate thinking of Jack as such a shark. Maybe it was Ianto who stepped into the shower first?"

Gwen looked thoughtful, as if trying to picture it. Owen just snorted again as Tosh began...

* * *

_Jack showered quickly, washing the dirt and blood from his hair as quickly as he could before opening the door to step out. He found his way blocked, however; Ianto stood there, quite naked, and he frowned when he saw Jack had finished already._

_"That was fast," he said, and Jack raised an eyebrow._

_"I wanted to check on you, make sure you were all right."_

_Ianto smiled and placed a hand on Jack's chest, pushing him into the shower again and turning the water back on. "Actually, I was coming to do the same."_

_"I'm fine," said Jack, swallowing thickly as he watched Ianto duck his head under the water. Ianto closed his eyes, a small smile playing at his lips._

_"Since you don't need any help, can you hand me the soap?" he asked, and Jack handed it to him wordlessly, wondering just what Ianto Jones was doing in his shower. As the other man washed his hair and then started to lather his body, Jack began to get a good idea: the way Ianto licked his lips, ran his hands through his hair, and glanced through eyelashes dripping with water as he washed said it all. He was there with one thing in mind._

_"Are you sure you're all right, sir?" Ianto asked. He turned around, letting Jack have a perfect view of his muscular shoulders, tight arse, and strong legs. Jack took an unintentional step closer, trying very hard not to reach out toward the man before him. Maybe Ianto had been concussed when he'd tackled the Weevil? Because if not, one of Jack's wettest dreams was literally coming true before him._

_"What are you doing here again?" Jack asked, shaking his head to clear it._

_Ianto turned and gave him that look he'd given Jack the first time they'd met, back in the park when Jack had been Weevil hunting alone. It was the 'Really, sir?' look, and it just about set Jack's brain on fire. He felt his jaw go slightly slack as blood began to rush south without him even thinking about it._

_Ianto held his eyes for a long moment, then let his own move down before coming back up to Jack's face. He took the step forward that Jack couldn't seem to manage because he was rooted to the spot with surprise and desire._

_"I should think that would be obvious," Ianto murmured. "Two men in a hot shower…" He let the words trail off with an unasked question. Jack finally grinned and decided he could play this game._

_"Sometimes I'm a bit clueless," he replied, closing the distance between them one step more._

_"Then I'll make it clear," said Ianto, moving forward, and now they were flush against one another. Ianto placed one hand on Jack's hip and ran the other up his chest and across his shoulder. "I'm here for you."_

_And with unexpected force, he pulled Jack against him and slammed their lips together, until Jack moaned and wrapped his arms around the other man, locking them in position as the water cascaded over them and their bodies pressed together as one…_

* * *

"I don't buy it," said Owen over his shoulder. "Jack's not that clueless, and Ianto's not that forward. I vote for a quick fuck in the SUV."

"Owen!" exclaimed Tosh.

"What? It makes more sense. Lots of adrenaline and testosterone involved out in the field. And they'd been eye-fucking since the day Ianto started."

"That is true," Tosh agreed, and Gwen agreed, even with her mouth full.

"Not a fan of shower sex, Owen?" she teased once she had swallowed more of the delicious cupcake.

Owen shrugged. "I was, but the SUV just seems more plausible than one of them attacking the other in the shower."

* * *

_It was just like the pterodactyl in the warehouse: dark, dangerous, a large creature successfully contained with minimal injuries. Jack tossed the blue-skinned alien into the boot of the SUV and slammed it shut, then turned toward Ianto, who was standing there, grinning._

_"Nice job," said Jack, grinning in return and leaning against the back of the SUV. "That was fun."_

_"Quite excitable," said Ianto, standing against the back of the SUV with him. He wiped a smear of blood from his forehead and actually laughed out loud. "We should do it again sometime."_

_"I think that would be an excellent idea," Jack replied. They were standing close, arms and legs touching. Jack couldn't deny it was a great feeling to be out in the field with Ianto, to see him confident and strong. It was almost as erotic as watching him make coffee._

_"Bit of a rush, actually," said Ianto, turning his head to look at Jack with that smile on his lips, that one from the warehouse. Now their faces were close; Jack could feel the other man's breath on his face, see the excitement in his eyes. Ianto was dirty and bleeding, but his breathing was quick and excited, his grin intoxicating and inviting. Jack couldn't help but lean forward as his eyes were drawn toward Ianto's lips and what he wanted to do to them…_

_"Quite a rush," he replied, still staring, until suddenly their eyes locked together, and they both surged forward. Their tongues met immediately in a fiery clash of wills as they surrendered to the rush and the adrenaline and the attraction that had been there since the beginning…_

* * *

"That's not very romantic," said Tosh, shaking her head. "Middle of the night, in a dark alley, on the back of the SUV? Yuck."

"No, but I bet that's how it happened," said Owen, turning back to his computer. "You know they shag in the SUV all the time. Maybe that's why—because that's where it started."

"And why does this not bother us?" asked Gwen. She peered into the box at the two cupcakes still nestled there, then decided against taking another. "Them shagging in the company car we all sit in every day?"

"It's just Jack and Ianto," shrugged Owen. "It's what they do."

"I think it was more romantic," Tosh maintained.

"They're blokes, Tosh," said Owen, shaking his head. "Of course it wasn't."

"Jack is a lot more sensitive than he lets on, you know," said Tosh defensively.

"And Ianto is a lot more kinky than he lets on," retorted Owen.

"That doesn't mean it started that way," she maintained.

"Then how'd it start?" he asked, finally leaving his game for good and crossing his arms.

"I think it was slow and sweet—maybe it was because one of them needed something and the other was just there for him."

Gwen nodded again; Owen rolled his eyes at Tosh.

* * *

_Ianto knocked on Jack's door, expecting to find him at his desk, just as he always did at the end of the day. Instead, he saw Jack pacing the office, running a hand through his hair in agitation._

_"Sir?" he asked, stepping inside without an invitation. "Jack, are you all right?"_

_Jack turned and gave him a look that was scared and upset and angry all at the same time. "I'm fine. You should go home, Ianto."_

_"You don't look fine," Ianto replied, moving into the small room, hands in his pockets as he watched Jack continue to pace. "Did something happen?"_

_Jack laughed bitterly. "Did something happen? Of course something happened. Didn't they tell you?"_

_"About Jasmine?" asked Ianto mildly. "Yes." Jack was in a state, there was no denying that. Ianto knew he probably just needed to let it out; the others had vented already, but Jack had no one to talk to, given that they were all upset with him._

_"I sent an innocent girl to her death," Jack said, waving his hands in the air. "I've lost men to them, lost someone I loved to them, and now I've lost a little girl. The rest of the team hates me, and I can't blame them for it." He turned his back on Ianto and continued pacing._

_Ianto sighed and leaned against Jack's desk, arms behind him as he watched Jack pace. He wasn't quite sure what to do or say, but let his instinct guide him._

_"They don't hate you," he said softly. "They just don't understand." Jack looked up in surprise. "From what I heard, you had no choice. If you hadn't let her go, the fairies would have destroyed everything. It was a hard decision, but you did what you had to do. Just like you've had to do before."_

_Jack stopped, and his whole body seemed to deflate. "You called me a monster that night," he whispered. "You were right."_

_"I was angry," Ianto replied, looking down. "At everything, but most of all at myself, for allowing it to happen. You were right. It could have been the end of the world. It was one sacrifice for millions of lives."_

_Jack sighed and shook his head. "It's unforgivable."_

_"No, it was necessary." Ianto looked up and met his eyes. "And it's not unforgivable. It's what you have to do."_

_Jack sighed and let his head fall to his chest. "I wish I didn't have to."_

_"You might be the only person in the world who can," Ianto replied, stepping forward until he was close enough to Jack to touch him, even though he did not reach out. "You did what you had to do, Jack."_

_"I hate doing what I have to do," Jack whispered, his voice breaking. Ianto couldn't help it: he put a hand on Jack's shoulder and pulled him close, feeling the other man's heart beating wildly against his chest. Jack was obviously trying very hard not to break down. He ran a hand up and down Jack's back and pressed a kiss to his cheek in support, the action unthinking, instinctual. Yet it caused Jack to suddenly go very still before he backed away, watching with wary eyes._

_Ianto knew he should feel mortified, but he didn't. Somehow it just felt right. He held out his hand, and to his surprise (and relief), Jack took it. "You should get some sleep," he said, leading the other man toward the bunker in the floor. Jack stopped him before he leaned down to open it._

_"I could really use some company tonight," he said softly, and Ianto turned toward him with a smile._

_"I'll stay with you, then," he said, and he leaned forward for a proper kiss this time, a slow, comforting kiss to soft lips before he went downstairs with Jack…_

* * *

"That's romantic?" Owen asked sarcastically.

"Why not?" Tosh asked defensively. "I'm sure things like that were very hard for Jack. Ianto seems like the type of man who would understand, after everything he went through."

"Jack's stronger than that," said Gwen. She glanced around, then picked up a second cupcake with a guilty smile. "I think it's more likely something happened to Ianto, and Jack stepped in to comfort him."

"He does have a good ugly cry," Owen sniggered. Tosh threw him a deadly look.

"You would too if your girlfriend tried to kill you and your boss ordered you to execute her." She turned back to Gwen, eyes wide. "Oh no, you don't think it happened then, do you?"

"No, they were far too angry back then," said Gwen, shaking her head. "But maybe it was after we went camping. That was a good bit of a fuck-up…"

* * *

_Ianto sat on the sofa in the hub, a second glass of whisky turning slowly in his hands. It was probably a bad idea, considering the medication Owen had given him for his injuries, but he didn't care. All he wanted was something to dull the memories, not just the pain. It had been over a week since the debacle in the Beacons, and though he was healing physically, mentally it had all come crashing back when the local constable had called with some questions. _

_Knocking the last of the whisky back, Ianto was suddenly temped to throw the glass across the room. In fact, he raised his arm, only to find the tumbler snatched neatly from his hand. Glancing up, he saw Jack standing there, an enigmatic look on his face._

_"What are you still doing here?" he asked softly, sitting down next to Ianto. "Besides drinking my whisky when I do believe Owen said not to mix drugs and alcohol, and to be sure to get plenty of rest."_

_Ianto let his head fall back against the sofa. "Sorry, sir. I just had to fax some paperwork."_

_Jack's voice was soft when he finally replied. "Brynblaidd?"_

_"Yep."_

_They were silent for long moment._

_"How are you doing?" asked Jack. It sounded rather forced; not because Jack didn't want to know, but because he felt uncomfortable asking, the answer being obvious. And perhaps Jack felt some measure of guilt for getting them into such a horrific situation in the first place. Ianto hid a small smile at the man's attempt to talk._

_"Everything's healing nicely, or so Owen tells me," he answered rather dryly. Jack sighed._

_"But then they called today," he offered._

_"They did," Ianto nodded. "And it was like reliving it all over again." He shuddered just thinking about the conversation, at having to go over what had happened once more 'for the record' when really, all he wanted to do was nick a dose of Retcon and forget it ever happened._

_He was surprised to find an arm moving around his shoulder. Jack pulled him close, and perhaps even more surprising was that Ianto let him. "It's been a week, and I'm still having nightmares about it," Jack admitted softly, letting his chin rest on top of Ianto's head._

_Ianto glanced up at him with a half smile. "I thought you didn't need to sleep much."_

_"Maybe that's why," Jack said. "I've seen some terrible things in my life, but that was one of the worst. It'll take a while, but we'll be okay."_

_We. He had said 'we'. There was actually something comforting about that. Jack hadn't been tied up and tenderized, though Ianto could imagine the other man's terror at finding his team captured and on the brink of being killed and eaten. Fury had driven him to one hell of a demonstration of his shooting ability, but Ianto had seen Jack afterwards, and the exhaustion and fear had been written clearly on the man's face for days._

_Ianto sighed, and Jack pulled him closer. It was nice, he realized; it didn't even feel awkward or uncomfortable. In fact, it felt good. He could hear Jack's heart beating quickly in his chest and tentatively reached out to place a hand over it. Jack's other hand came up to entwine their fingers together, and Ianto squeezed back, his breath starting to quicken as well._

_Jack's other hand started to move up and down his side, comforting and yet so much more. Ianto felt a small smile curl around his lips, and he sat up straighter, gazing into Jack's eyes. Jack met his gaze, the unasked question there clear. Ianto barely nodded in response, letting his body relax and move forward as Jack did the same, and their lips met halfway in a kiss they both needed to feel whole again…_

* * *

"No way," said Owen, looking slightly disgusted. "Sex in the SUV."

"I liked it," said Tosh, patting Gwen on the knee before she reached over and took the last of the four cupcakes. "It was sweet."

"It was ghastly," said Owen. "When have you ever seen them act like that? I'd wager on angry sex before I'd bet on that comforting bullshit."

"Ianto doesn't get mad," Tosh pointed out. "He's like the Rock of Gibraltar. Waves crash against him, and he takes it all in stride."

"Oh, you didn't see him when you were stuck in 1941, Tosh. Or back in that warehouse with the space whale." Owen nodded to himself. "He's got a pair of brass balls, Ianto does. He just doesn't like to take them out of the box often."

"But Jack and Ianto don't really fight with each other," said Gwen. "Except for Lisa." She paused and looked at Tosh askance. "Shit, what if it did start then? Maybe it was when Ianto was on suspension?"

Tosh shook her head. "No, like you said, they were both too hurt and angry to even look at each other, let alone talk about it. I can't see them shagging it away."

"It's not like we know everything about them," Owen pointed out. "Maybe they were sleeping together before we found Lisa."

"No way," said Gwen, and Tosh shook her head vehemently, quickly finishing her cupcake.

"Absolutely not. Ianto was in love with her, he never would have done that."

Her voice must have been exceptionally harsh, because Owen held his hands up in defense. "Fine, fine. But there have been plenty of other number of opportunities for Ianto to get mad."

"Why do you think Ianto would be the angry one?" asked Gwen curiously. There was frosting on her nose, which Tosh reached over to brush off.

"Because in this scenario, he's not going down on Jack without being seriously pissed off at him."

Tosh glanced at Gwen and grinned before they turned to Owen.

"Do tell."

* * *

_"You're a real arsehole, you know that, right?" Ianto said, slamming the door to Jack's office behind him._

_"Sorry?" asked Jack, glancing up from the report he was reading. It was the middle of the night, and Ianto was dressed in casual clothes: jeans and a button down shirt, with the leather jacket Jack remembered from the first time Ianto had accosted him for a job. _

_"You," Ianto practically spat, pointing a finger at him. "Do you have any idea what you've done?"_

_Jack leaned back and crossed his arms on his chest, running through any number of things that might have upset Ianto; there were too many. "Tell me," he finally said. Ianto narrowed his eyes and stormed over to the desk, slamming his palms down on the hard wood._

_"How could you do that to her?" he hissed. "How could you do that to Tosh? You're like…like a father to her, or a brother…and you just up and send someone she cared about into the fucking sun?"_

_Jack let out a long, slow breath. "Right. That."_

_"Yes, that." Ianto threw his hands up in disgust and stalked away. "How could you be so callous, so cruel?"_

_"That alien was a hostile," Jack said. "She used Tosh to infiltrate the Hub—"_

_"This isn't about Mary," snapped Ianto, and Jack couldn't help but bristle. He had rarely seen Ianto so agitated, so upset, so angry. He stood and moved forward, feeling confined and sitting behind his desk as if it was a shield. _

_"What's it about?" asked Jack, coming around and leaning against the back of his desk._

_"It's about Tosh, you bloody tosser!" Ianto exclaimed. "I just left her flat. She called me because she didn't want to be alone. It took her forever to fall asleep, and that was on the couch because she didn't want to go back to her own bed. She's confused and upset and feels guilty—"_

_"She should," Jack interrupted, however reluctantly. "She allowed Mary to use her."_

_"Jesus, Jack!" Ianto exclaimed, turning and staring at him. "It's not Tosh's fault that she was lonely, that cared, that she believed. You didn't have to do that to her."_

_"Do what?" asked Jack. He wasn't exactly sure what Ianto was so upset about. When he had left Tosh, she had been upset, yes, but not so much that Ianto would burst into the Hub past midnight to rail at him. What was this really about?_

_"You killed her lover, Jack. You killed Mary right in front of her. You could have just lied and told Tosh you'd sent her home, but instead you had to rub it in."_

_"She was a murderer," Jack said. "I had no choice."_

_"You had a choice when it came to what you told Tosh," Ianto snapped. He took two quick steps forward and actually poked Jack in the chest. "And you chose to hurt her, even if she won't ever say anything."_

_Jack felt his face moving, but he didn't know what to say; Ianto was right. He was absolutely dead right. He'd been so caught up in the alien and the pendant, he had forgot about Tosh. He hung his head, and Ianto laughed bitterly._

_"Oh, now you feel bad? That's just great, Jack. You kill another lover, and now you feel guilty for it? Brilliant."_

_Jack's head whipped up. "Another?" he asked, even more thrown for a loop._

_"Yes, another," said Ianto. "Going to make it a habit of killing Torchwood partners? Should I put a protective detail on Rhys Williams, perhaps?"_

_Jack felt the blood drain from his face as he stood up straight and faced Ianto in the center of the room. "You bastard," he whispered._

_Ianto stood just as tall and stared him down. "No, you're the bastard. Seriously, Jack, is that what you do around here to make sure none of us have normal lives? Kill the ones we love so we have no hope left?"_

_"This isn't about Tosh," said Jack as he understood where all the anger was really coming from. _

_"It's about you," said Ianto, nodding at him dismissively._

_"No, it's about you," snapped Jack. "Or it's about us."_

_"There is no us," said Ianto, his lips curling into a sneer. "You don't care. You don't care about anyone or anything, do you, Jack? Just yourself." Ianto shook his head. "No wonder you're such a lonely son of a bitch."_

_Jack couldn't help it; he instinctively lashed out as his right hand balled into a fist, but Ianto was quick and blocked his punch. They stood that way for several seconds, arms shaking against the strain, both of them breathing heavily as they stared at one another before Jack finally yanked his hand away. "Get out," he snarled._

_"No," said Ianto. "Tell me how you're going to fix this. Tell me how you're going to make it right."_

_Jack stared at him again before he stepped back. "I can't," he ground out. The air felt charged around them, and Ianto was gazing at him with dark eyes that Jack found it hard to look away from. "And I'm sorry."_

_Trying to shake off the spell that seemed to have enveloped them, Jack turned away, but a strong hand on his shoulder pulled him back around. "You're sorry?" Ianto demanded. "That's all? You're sorry?"_

_Jack felt his face harden. "I am. And it's all I have to offer." Ianto's hand was still on his shoulder, and Jack felt an almost electric tingle at the other man's touch. He closed his eyes against it. "Now go home. Before this goes too far."_

_Ianto raised an eyebrow. "Too far?" he asked mockingly. "As in—"_

_"As in too far," Jack growled, and he closed the short distance between them and slammed his lips to Ianto's, gasping in surprise when the other man responded almost immediately and kissed him back just as hard. Ianto opened his mouth and let Jack's tongue in, grabbing the front of Jack's shirt and pulling him closer._

_"You are still an arsehole," Ianto gasped as he let his head fall back, and Jack licked hot kisses along the man's jaw._

_"And you're still a bastard, barging in here like that," Jack murmured back. He bit back a groan as Ianto's hands roamed up his chest and across his shoulders, pushing his braces down so that they hung loose to his knees._

_"You killed her," Ianto said, now working furiously on the buttons of Jack's shirt. Jack stopped him to pull off the leather jacket, tossing it on a nearby chair._

_"And I'm sorry I had to," he breathed into Ianto's mouth as they kissed again, tongues warring for dominance. "I will always be sorry." He started to tug on Ianto's shirt, then stopped when the man pulled back and looked him straight in the eye._

_"I believe you," he said softly. Jack let his head fall to Ianto's shoulder and tried not to break down. They stood like that for a moment, still breathing raggedly with shirts untucked and half undone. And then Ianto placed his hands on Jack's face and pulled him back for another rough kiss, and Jack was lost to a rush of passion and forgiveness still mixed with anger and hurt that carried them both away…_

* * *

"Wow." Gwen and Tosh spoke together, voices barely a whisper, staring at Owen as if star struck.

"What?" asked Owen, apparently unaware of their response. "Doesn't that seem more likely? Either that or they were completely soused."

That seemed to break the spell; they stopped staring at him open-mouthed and shook themselves back to reality.

"I don't think they were drunk," said Tosh, her voice barely a whisper, and Gwen nodded in silent agreement.

"Jack doesn't drink," she added. They both still seemed a bit stunned by Owen's interpretation.

"So when was it then? Where was it? Who cares?" Owen turned away, and they all sat in silence until a cough directed their attention toward the balcony above them.

"It was after Suzie died," said Jack, leaning casually against the railing with his hands clasped in front of him.

"It was downstairs," added Ianto, mirroring his posture and nodding as if recalling a fond memory. "But not the showers."

"And I wasn't angry, were you?" asked Jack, turning toward Ianto with a grin.

Ianto shook his head. "Not at the time. Quite the opposite, in fact."

"That's right, you started it!" Jack exclaimed in mock surprise, and Ianto bowed his head in acknowledgement.

"Oi!" said Owen. "That's quite enough, or my ears are going to bleed, dead or not."

"Were you listening?" asked Gwen, while beside her Tosh ducked her head in embarrassment.

"Every word," said Jack with a grin. "And it was hot."

"Almost better than the real thing," added Ianto, and Jack glanced sideways at him. It was clear from the look on Ianto's face, however, that he was teasing.

"You should go home," said Jack, standing up straight. "It's quiet, and apparently there's nothing to do around here but gossip."

"We weren't gossiping," protested Tosh. "We were just—"

"Fanaticizing?" finished Jack, and Tosh blushed. Ianto rolled his eyes.

"Ignore him, Tosh. He loved every minute of it."

"Glad we could entertain you, then," said Owen, standing up to leave.

"Yes, and now we'll have to try out all those other scenarios, see if they're as good in the doing as they are in the telling," Jack said, giving them all that teasing look he did too well.

"No wonder they want us out," murmured Owen. Tosh jumped up and hurried to her station to get her things; even Gwen looked a bit embarrassed.

"Actually, we've got reservations," said Ianto, with a fond if slightly exasperated smile. "And as much as he wanted to keep listening, we needed to end it so we're not late."

"So you're going out for Valentine's Day!" exclaimed Tosh, smiling up at them. She was apparently no longer embarrassed, because she was right: they had plans. That was what had started it in the first place, and that meant they were more than just a shag. "Where are you going?"

"Someplace secret," said Jack. "So scoot, children. We'll call you in the morning."

They left without murmured farewells, and Jack and Ianto watched them go, smiling as the cog door closed behind them. Ianto turned and leaned his back against the railing.

"So where _are_ we going?" he asked as Jack wrapped warm arms around his waist.

"Someplace secret," Jack repeated, kissing him gently.

"That doesn't mean my flat with extra take-away does it?" Ianto asked, and Jack shook his head. "Or your room with a few candles added for ambience?" Another shake of the head, this time with a grin. "All right, then. Seems you've actually planned something. I'm impressed."

"You should be," Jack replied. "I didn't think I was going to make it through that entire conversation without having you right then."

Ianto grinned. "It was highly…entertaining, I must admit."

"We forgot to tell them about the stopwatch," Jack mused.

"They wouldn't have believed us," Ianto replied.

"After the stories they were just telling?" Jack laughed as he took Ianto's hand and pulled him down the stairs and toward the office for their coats. "I think we could have told them anything, and they wouldn't have thought twice about it."

"My reputation is apparently not as good as I thought it was," Ianto replied as Jack helped him into his coat. Ianto turned and did the same for Jack.

"That tends to happen when you're with me," Jack replied with a grin and a shrug. "Sorry about that."

Jack set the Rift alarms to route through his wrist strap, and they left the Hub, each smiling quietly as they thought about what they had overheard.

"What strikes me as rather remarkable is that they were all right, in their own way," Ianto finally said as they climbed into the SUV. Jack took the driver's side, since apparently only he knew where they were going.

"Yeah, that was a bit spooky. Especially the shower one."

"Both of them," Ianto pointed out. "And the back of the SUV."

"And that time you were so mad at me," laughed Jack, and Ianto threw him a slightly disparaging look. "Okay, not a good thing, fighting, but the sex was amazing."

"Maybe we should tell them," said Ianto, eyes gazing curiously out of the window.

"Tell them what?"

"Tell them they all got it right, in a way. They seemed so curious."

"Let them be curious," Jack replied, setting a hand on Ianto's knee. "It's none of their business."

"They'll probably ask about where we went tonight when they come in tomorrow, you know," Ianto pointed out, and Jack nodded.

"I know. I'm hoping they'll come up with some more good stories."

Ianto was silent for a moment. "Or we could come up with a good one ourselves."

Jack glanced sideways at him with a grin. "You mean, feed them some lines? Get a good reaction?"

"Exactly."

"I like the way you think, Ianto Jones."

"Thank you. So where are we going again?"

Jack finally told him, and Ianto grinned broadly.

"Maybe we should just tell them the truth," he laughed. "They'd never believe it in a million years."

"Now who's reputation isn't any good?" Jack grumbled good-naturedly. Ianto patted his hand.

"At least we've lost our reputation together."

"Couldn't imagine anyone else I'd rather corrupt and be corrupted by," Jack laughed.

Ianto shook his head as he gazed back out the window. "I'll take that as a 'Happy Valentine's Day' instead of the compliment I think you meant."

Jack squeezed his hand. "Happy Valentine's Day, Ianto," he said softly.

"You too, Jack."

"Now, let's go create some stories of our own, shall we?"

* * *

Author's Note:

So many thank yous to Tamaar, my lovely beta who not only looked this over and worked some magic on it, but is also amazingly brilliant to chat with outside of work. Hope you liked the cupcakes—someday we'll make smutty ones.

A few disclaimers: I don't know if Jack and Ianto would really do anything for Valentine's Day in Wales, and I don't care. It was reason and motivation to write this story. I take very little responsibility for Gwen, Tosh, and Owen's interpretations of Jack and Ianto's first time. And I have absolutely no idea where they went, so use your imagination. If you prefer fluff, make it romantic; if you prefer smut, make it as dirty as you want. Either way, thank you for reading!


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